Can opener and pouring spout



July 28, 1964 s. L. CAMPBELL CAN OPENER AND POURING SPOUT Filed Nov. 23,1962 INVNTOR BILL L cAM l-'fBELLl AGENT United States Patent O 3,142,417CAN OPENER AND POURING SPOUT Bill L. Campbell, Star Rte., Canton, Okla.Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,625 3 Claims. (Cl. Z22-83.5)

The present invention relates to can openers and more particularly to acombined can holder and opener.

The prior art reveals a plurality of can taps or openers which include apouring spout. Most of the can spouts or openers used for opening quartcans of oil, or the like, feature a sharpened point at one end of thespout which is diicult to force through the sealed end of the can and issimimlarly diilicult to remove from the can after the latter is emptied.Furthermore, the patents of the prior art do not disclose a means foreasily opening and holding a can while emptying the latter through thecan tap spout or in removing the can from the opener when the can hasbeen emptied.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the instant invention toprovide a can opener having a pouring spout which may be easilyconnected to the can and retain the latter during the opening andemptying of the can.

Another object is to provide a device of this class wherein lever meansforces the can into opening contact with the pouring spout.

An additional object is to provide a can opening device which may belocked in can opening position until the can has been emptied and isready for disposal.

Still another object is to provide a can opening and holding devicewhich will automatically release the can from the tap and pouring spoutwhen the can is to be discarded.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providinga pair of U-shaped members interconnected to form a handle portion and acan holding frame. Pivoting lever means forces one end of the can intocontact with a can opening and pouring spout.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device, per se.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device, partly in crosssection, illustrating its relative position when in can opened position,the can being shown in cross section, and illustrating, by dotted lines,the relative position of the device and a can before being opened and inejecting position; and,

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional View taken substantially alongthe line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures ofthe drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates the device, as a whole, which isrectangular in general configuration comprising a U-shaped can holdingframe 12 and a U-shaped handle portion 14. The frame 12 is preferablyformed of metallic strap material having a bight portion 16 and parallelleg members 18 and 20 which are adapted to extend transversely ofopposing ends of a can 22, or the like. The leg members 24 and 26 of theU-shaped handle 14 are connected at their respective ends to the bightportion 16 of the frame 12 opposite the direction of the legs 18 and 20.The leg member 26 of the handle 14 is preferably formed of two parallelmembers 28 and 30 for transversely journaling a pin 32 which pivotallymounts, intermediate its ends, an elongated rod or lever 34. One endportion 36 of the lever 34 extends upwardly within the U-shaped handle14 toward its other leg member 24. The other end portion 38 of the leverextends arcuately downward and upward to extend freely through asuitable aperture 40 in the leg 20. The free end of the lever end3,142,417. Patented July 28, 1964 ICe portion 38 is provided with anaxially connected disk 42 for the purposes which will presently beapparent.

A tubular pouring spout 44 extends through the leg member 18 adjacentand parallel with respect to the bight portion 16. The inwardly directedend portion 46 of the spout is sharpened in a conventional manner forpiercing a can. A helical spring 48 is connected to the inner surface ofthe frame leg 18 and projects toward the disk 42 for the purposes morefully explained hereinbelow.

Operation In operation the can 22 to be opened is positioned within theframe 12 with one end 52 of the can resting on the disk 42 and its otherend 54 is spaced relation with respect to the spout end portion 46 andthe spring 48. The user has one of his hands surrounding the bightportion of the handle 14 with his fingers grasping the handle end 36which is pulled toward the bight portion of the handle to pivot thehandle about the pin 32 and force the disk 42 against the can end 52 sothat the can end 54 is moved toward the frame leg 18 and contacts and ispierced by the spout end portion 46. Simultaneously the spring 48 iscompressed between the frame leg 18 and the outer surface of the can end54. The handle end portion 36 is provided with a slot 56 which looselyreceives a guide pin 58 horizontally supported between a pair of ears orlugs 60 connected with the bight portion of the handle 14 and extendinginwardly thereof. A plunger or pin 62, transversely supported by theears 60, may then be manually pushed into a suitable aperture 64 formedin the free end portion of the handle 36 communicating with the slot 56.The shank 66 of the pin 62, frictionally engaged within the aperture 64,holds the handle in can 'holding position. A spring 68, surrounding theshank of the pin 62 between its head and the adjacent ear 60, aids inreleasing the handle end portion 36 from its locked position when thecan is to be released. When the handle 36 is unlocked the spring 48expands and forces the can end 54 out of contact with the pouring spoutend portion 46, as shown by dotted lines (FIG. 2), for disposal of thecan.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alterationwithout defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to beconned to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and describedherein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A can tap and pouring spout, comprising: a substantially U-shapedframe for receiving a can to be opened, said frame comprising a bightportion and a pair of spacedapart parallel legs normal with respect tothe plane of the bight portion, one leg of said U-shaped frame having anaperture; handle means connected to said U-shaped frame, said handlemeans including a substantially U-shaped handle member having a bightportion and parallel legs, said U-shaped handle member having the endsof its legs connected to the bight portion of said U-shaped frame onthat side opposite the legs of the latter, one of the legs of saidhandle member comprising a pair of parallel spaced-apart members; alever pivotally connected intermediate its ends between the pair ofparallel spaced-apart members of said handle member leg, said leverprojecting beyond said handle means and arcuately curved toward andextending at one end into said `U-shaped frame through the aperture insaid one leg; a disk axially connected to the end portion of said leverwithin said frame adapted to engage the adjacent end surface of a can tobe opened and force the latter toward the other leg of said U-shapedframe when said lever is moved in one direction; a pouring spoutextending through the last mentioned leg of said U-shaped frame, saidspout having a sharpened end portion positioned inwardly of itsconnection with said leg for piercing the end Wall of a can to be openedwhen the latter is forced intocontact with said sharpened end portion bymovement of said lever; and locking means holding said lever in canopened position.

2. Structure as specied in claim l and a helical spring connected at oneend to the inwardly directed surface of the leg of said U-shaped framehaving the spout extending therethrough, said spring extending towardsaid disk a distance at least as great as the length of the sharpenedend portion of said spout.

3. Structure as specified in claim 1 in which the lever locking meansincludes a pair of ears connected with the bight portion of said handlemeans and projecting in parallel spaced relation toward said U-shapedframe for receiving the adjacent end portion of said lever therebetween,the adjacent end portion of said lever having a transverse opening; anda spring urged pin slidably mounted transversely by said ears andremovably engageable within the opening in said lever.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,880,354 Mueller Oct. 4, 1932 2,024,898 Weltner Dec. 17, 1935 2,038,775Weber Apr. 28, 1936 2,320,160 Snowden May 25, 1943 2,499,259 PrickettFeb. 28, 1950 2,582,156 Peterson Jan. 8, 1952 2,657,828 Crippen Nov. 3,1953

1. A CAN TAP AND POURING SPOUT, COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPEDFRAME FOR RECEIVING A CAN TO BE OPENED, SAID FRAME COMPRISING A BIGHTPORTION AND A PAIR OF SPACEDAPART PARALLEL LEGS NORMAL WITH RESPECT TOTHE PLANE OF THE BIGHT PORTION, ONE LEG OF SAID U-SHAPED FRAME HAVING ANAPERTURE; HANDLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID U-SHAPED FRAME, SAID HANDLEMEANS INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED HANDLE MEMBER HAVING A BIGHTPORTION AND PARALLEL LEGS, SAID U-SHAPED HANDLE MEMBER HAVING THE ENDSOF ITS LEGS CONNECTED TO THE BIGHT PORTION OF SAID U-SHAPED FRAME ONTHAT SIDE OPPOSITE THE LEGS OF THE LATTER, ONE OF THE LEGS OF SAIDHANDLE MEMBER COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL SPACED-APART MEMBERS; ALEVER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS BETWEEN THE PAIR OFPARALLEL SPACED-APART MEMBERS OF SAID HANDLE MEMBER LEG, SAID LEVERPROJECTING BEYOND SAID HANDLE MEANS AND ARCUATELY CURVED TOWARD ANDEXTENDING AT ONE END INTO SAID U-SHAPED FRAME THROUGH THE APERTURE INSAID ONE LEG; A DISK AXIALLY CONNECTED TO THE END PORTION OF SAID LEVERWITHIN SAID FRAME ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE ADJACENT END SURFACE OF A CAN TOBE OPENED AND FORCE THE LATTER TOWARD THE OTHER LEG OF SAID U-SHAPEDFRAME WHEN SAID LEVER IS MOVED IN ONE DIRECTION; A POURING SPOUTEXTENDING THROUGH THE LAST MENTIONED LEG OF SAID U-SHAPED FRAME, SAIDSPOUT HAVING A SHARPENED END PORTION POSITIONED INWARDLY OF ITSCONNECTION WITH SAID LEG FOR PIERCING THE END WALL OF A CAN TO BE OPENEDWHEN THE LATTER IS FORCED INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SHARPENED END PORTIONBY MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER; AND LOCKING MEANS HOLDING SAID LEVER IN CANOPENED POSITION.